A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Improved glycemic control and lipid profile is associated with type 2 diabetes patients who habitually consume a low-fat, vegan diets.

This study investigated the effect of low-fat vegan diets on glycemic control and lipid profile of type 2 diabetes patients. Researchers fed 99 type 2 diabetes patients with either low-fat vegan diets or the American Diabetic Association (ADA) recommended diet for 22 weeks. The serum concentrations of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, body weight, and urinary concentrations of albumin were measured in each of the subject at the end of the dietary intervention.

Researchers observed a significant reduction in body weight, urinary levels of albumin, and plasma concentrations of glycated hemoglobin and LDL cholesterol in both the low-fat vegan and ADA cohorts.These improvements were stronger in the vegan group than in the ADA group. According to this study, 43% of the subjects in the vegan group and 26% of the participants in the ADA group reduced medications at the end of the dietary intervention. The findings of this study show that low-fat vegan diets may improve the glycemic control, lipid profile, and cardiovascular risk factors of type 2 diabetes patients.